Risk chain identification of single-vehicle accidents considering multi-risk factors coupling effect.

The real-time monitoring on the risk status of the vehicle and its driver can provide the assistance for the early detection and blocking control of single-vehicle accidents. However, complex risk coupling relationship is one of the main features of single-vehicle accidents with high mortality rate. On the basis of investigating the coupling effect among multi-risk factors and establishing a safety management database throughout the life cycle of vehicles, single-vehicle driving risk network (SVDRN) with a three-level threshold was developed, and its topology features were analyzed to assessment the importance of nodes. To avoid the one-sidedness of single indicator, the multi-attribute comprehensive evaluation model was applied to measure the comprehensive effect of characteristic indicators for nodes importance. A algorithm for real-time monitoring of vehicle driving risk status was proposed to identify key risk chains. The result revealed that improper operation, speeding, loss of vehicle control and inefficient driver management were the sequence of top four risk factors in the comprehensive evaluation result of nodes importance (mean value = 0.185, SD = 0.119). There were minor differences of 0.017 in the node importance among environmental factors, among which non-standard road alignment had the larger value. The improper operation and non-standard road alignment were the highest combination correlation of factors affecting road safety, with the support of 51.81% and the confidence of 69.35%. This identification algorithm of key risk chains that combines node importance and its risk state threshold can effectively determine the high-frequency risk transmission paths and risk factors through multi-vehicle test, providing a basis for centralization management of transport enterprises.

Application progress of nanocellulose in food packaging: A review.

With the increasing environmental and ecological problems caused by petroleum-based packaging materials, the focus has gradually shifted to natural resources for the preparation of functional food packaging materials. In addition to biodegradable properties, nanocellulose (NC) mechanical properties, and rich surface chemistry are also fascinating and desired to be one of the most probable green packaging materials. In this review, we firstly introduce the recent progress of novel applications of NC in food packaging, including intelligent packaging, nano(bio)sensors, and nano-paper; secondly, we focus on the modification techniques of NC to summarize the properties (antimicrobial, mechanical, hydrophobic, antioxidant, and so on) that are required for food packaging, to expand the new synthetic methods and application areas. After presenting all the latest advances related to material design and sustainable applications, an overview summarizing the safety of NC is presented to promote a continuous and healthy movement of NC toward the field of truly sustainable packaging.

Enhancing barley yield potential and germination rate: gene editing of HvGA20ox2 and discovery of novel allele sdw1.ZU9.

Several dwarf and semi-dwarf genes have been identified in barley. However, only a limited number have been effectively utilized in breeding programs to cultivate lodging resistant varieties. This is due to the common association of dwarf and semi-dwarf traits with negative effects on malt quality. In this study, we employed gene editing to generate three new haplotypes of sdw1/denso candidate gene gibberellin (GA) 20-oxidase2 (GA20ox2). These haplotypes induced a dwarfing phenotype and enhancing yield potential, and promoting seed dormancy, thereby reducing pre-harvest sprouting. Moreover, ß-amylase activity in the grains of the mutant lines was significantly increased, which is beneficial for malt quality. The haplotype analysis revealed significant genetic divergence of this gene during barley domestication and selection. A novel allele (sdw1.ZU9), containing a 96-bp fragment in the promoter region of HvGA20ox2, was discovered and primarily observed in East Asian and Russian barley varieties. The 96-bp fragment was associated with lower gene expression, leading to lower plant height but higher germination rate. In conclusion, HvGA20ox2 can be potentially used to develop semi-dwarf barley cultivars with high yield and improved malt quality.

Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte Subsets and Heterogeneity of B Cell Subsets in Patients of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myositis with Different Myositis-specific Autoantibodies.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a group of myopathies that present with muscle weakness and multiple extra-muscular manifestations, in which lymphocytes play central roles in myositis pathogenesis. This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of lymphocyte subsets, especially B cell subsets, in patients with IIM. Our study included 176 patients with active IIM and 210 gender/age-matched healthy controls (HCs). Compared to HCs, patients have reduced counts of T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells. In addition, B cell subsets from 153 patients with IIM and 92 HCs were characterized. Patients had a lower percentage of memory B cells and translational memory B cells, while those patients were with an elevated percentage of CD19+ B cells, plasmablast and naïve B cells compared with HCs. Moreover, to further explore the heterogeneity of B cells in IIM, patients were categorized into three clusters based on clustering analysis. Cluster 1 was dominated by CD19+ B cells, Bregs and naïve B cells, cluster 3 was dominated by memory B cells and plasmablast, and cluster 2 had the highest proportion of translational memory B cells. Notably, patients in cluster 1 presented with higher CK levels, indicating muscle damage, whereas patients in cluster 3 showed a higher incidence of chest tightness. Our study indicated that lymphopenia is a common manifestation in patients with IIM. B cell subsets are abnormally expressed and showed high heterogeneity in patients with IIM. The patients with IIM were divided into three different clusters with different percentages of chest tightness and distinct CK levels.

Genome-wide identification of the ICS family genes and its role in resistance to Plasmodiophora brassicae in Brassica napus L.

The isochorismate synthase (ICS) proteins are essential regulators of salicylic acid (SA) synthesis, which has been reported to regulate resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is a common disease that threatens the yield and quality of Oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Exogenous application of salicylic acid reduced the incidence of clubroot in oilseed rape. However, the potential importance of the ICS genes family in B. napus and its diploid progenitors has been unclear. Here, we identified 16, 9, and 10 ICS genes in the allotetraploid B. napus, diploid ancestor Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea, respectively. These ICS genes were classified into three subfamilies (I-III), and member of the same subfamilies showed relatively conserved gene structures, motifs, and protein domains. Furthermore, many hormone-response and stress-related promoter cis-acting elements were observed in the BnaICS genes. Exogenous application of SA delayed the growth of clubroot galls, and the expression of BnaICS genes was significantly different compared to the control groups. Protein-protein interaction analysis identified 58 proteins involved in the regulation of ICS in response to P. brassicae in B. napus. These results provide new clues for understanding the resistance mechanism to P. brassicae.

U-shaped association between sleep duration and biological aging: Evidence from the UK Biobank study.

Previous research on sleep and aging largely has failed to illustrate the optimal dose-response curve of this relationship. We aimed to analyze the associations between sleep duration and measures of predicted age. In total, 241,713 participants from the UK Biobank were included. Habitual sleep duration was collected from the baseline questionnaire. Four indicators, homeostatic dysregulation (HD), phenoAge (PA), Klemera-Doubal method (KDM), and allostatic load (AL), were chosen to assess predicted age. Multivariate linear regression models were utilized. The association of sleep duration and predicted age followed a U-shape (All p for nonlinear <0.05). Compared with individuals who sleep for 7 h/day, the multivariable-adjusted beta of ≤5 and ≥9 h/day were 0.05 (95% CI 0.03, 0.07) and 0.03 (95% CI 0.02, 0.05) for HD, 0.08 (95% CI 0.01, 0.14) and 0.36 (95% CI 0.31, 0.41) for PA, and 0.21 (95% CI 0.12, 0.30) and 0.30 (95% CI 0.23, 0.37) for KDM. Significant independent and joint effects of sleep and cystatin C (CysC) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) on predicted age metrics were future found. Similar results were observed when conducting stratification analyses. Short and long sleep duration were associated with accelerated predicted age metrics mediated by CysC and GGT.

Ethylenedioxythiophene-Based Small Molecular Donor with Multiple Conformation Locks for Organic Solar Cells with Efficiency of 19.3 .

Ternary organic solar cells (T-OSCs) represent an efficient strategy for enhancing the performance of OSCs. Presently, the majority of high-performance T-OSCs incorporates well-established Y-acceptors or donor polymers as the third component. In this study, a novel class of conjugated small molecules has been introduced as the third component, demonstrating exceptional photovoltaic performance in T-OSCs. This innovative molecule comprises ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) bridge and 3-ethylrhodanine as the end group, with the EDOT unit facilitating the creation of multiple conformation locks. Consequently, the EDOT-based molecule exhibits two-dimensional charge transport, distinguishing it from the thiophene-bridged small molecule, which displays fewer conformation locks and provides one-dimensional charge transport. Furthermore, the robust electron-donating nature of EDOT imparts the small molecule with cascade energy levels relative to the electron donor and acceptor. As a result, OSCs incorporating the EDOT-based small molecule as the third component demonstrate enhanced mobilities, yielding a remarkable efficiency of 19.3 %, surpassing the efficiency of 18.7 % observed for OSCs incorporating thiophene-based small molecule as the third component. The investigations in this study underscore the excellence of EDOT as a building block for constructing conjugated materials with multiple conformation locks and high charge carrier mobilities, thereby contributing to elevated photovoltaic performance in OSCs.

Diabetic Macrophage Exosomal miR-381-3p Inhibits Epithelial Cell Autophagy Via NR5A2.

PURPOSE: To explore the mechanism underlying autophagy disruption in gingival epithelial cells (GECs) in diabetic individuals. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and GECs were extracted from C57/bl and db/db mice, the exosomes (Exo) were isolated from BMDMs. qRT‒PCR and Western blotting were performed to analyse gene expression. The AnimalTFDB database was used to identify relevant transcription factors, and miRNA sequencing was utilised to identify relevant miRNAs with the aid of the TargetScan/miRDB/miRWalk databases. A dual-luciferase assay was conducted to verify intermolecular targeting relationships. RESULTS: Similar to BMDMs, BMDM-derived Exos disrupted autophagy and exerted proinflammatory effects in GEC cocultures, and ATG7 may play a vital role. AnimalTFDB database analysis and dual-luciferase assays indicated that NR5A2 is the most relevant transcription factor that regulates Atg7 expression. SiRNA-NR5A2 transfection blocked autophagy in GECs and exacerbated inflammation, whereas NR5A2 upregulation restored ATG7 expression and ameliorated ExoDM-mediated inflammation. MiRNA sequencing, with TargetScan/miRDB/miRWalk analyses and dual-luciferase assays, confirmed that miR-381-3p is the most relevant miRNA that targets NR5A2. MiR-381-3p mimic transfection blocked autophagy in GECs and exacerbated inflammation, while miR-381-3p inhibitor transfection restored ATG7 expression and attenuated ExoDM-mediated inflammation. CONCLUSION: BMDM-derived Exos, which carry miR-381-3p, inhibit NR5A2 and disrupt autophagy in GECs, increasing periodontal inflammation in diabetes.

One-year efficacy of myopia control by the defocus distributed multipoint lens: a multicentric randomised controlled trial.

AIMS: To report the 1-year results of the efficacy of a defocus distributed multipoint (DDM) lens in controlling myopia progression in a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. METHODS: Overall, 168 children aged 6-13 years were recruited and randomly assigned to wear a DDM lens (n=84) or single-vision (SV) lens (n=84) in three centres. Cycloplegic autorefraction (spherical equivalent refraction (SER)) and axial length (AL) were measured. Linear mixed model analysis was performed to compare between-group SER and AL changes. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the between-group difference in rapid myopia progression (SER increase≥0.75 D per year or AL growth≥0.40 mm per year). RESULTS: After 1 year, mean changes in SER were significantly lower in the DDM group (-0.47±0.37 D) than in the SV group (-0.71±0.42 D) (p<0.001). Similarly, mean changes in AL were significantly lower in the DDM group (0.21±0.17 mm) than in the SV group (0.34±0.16 mm) (p<0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, daily wearing time and parental myopia, rapid myopia progression risk was higher in the SV group than in the DDM group (OR=3.51, 95% CI: 1.77 to 6.99), especially for children who wore a lens for >12 hours per day, boys and younger children (6-9 years) with ORs (95% CIs) of 10.82 (3.22 to 36.37), 5.34 (1.93 to 14.78) and 8.73 (2.6 to 29.33), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: After 1 year, DDM lenses effectively retarded myopia progression in children. Longer daily wearing time of DDM lens improved the efficacy of myopia control. Future long-term studies are needed for validation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05340699.

Genome-wide identification analysis of the 4-Coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL) gene family expression profiles in Juglans regia and its wild relatives J. Mandshurica resistance and salt stress.

Persian walnut (Juglans regia) and Manchurian walnut (Juglans mandshurica) belong to Juglandaceae, which are vulnerable, temperate deciduous perennial trees with high economical, ecological, and industrial values. 4-Coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL) plays an essential function in plant development, growth, and stress. Walnut production is challenged by diverse stresses, such as salinity, drought, and diseases. However, the characteristics and expression levels of 4CL gene family in Juglans species resistance and under salt stress are unknown. Here, we identified 36 Jr4CL genes and 31 Jm4CL genes, respectively. Based on phylogenetic relationship analysis, all 4CL genes were divided into three branches. WGD was the major duplication mode for 4CLs in two Juglans species. The phylogenic and collinearity analyses showed that the 4CLs were relatively conserved during evolution, but the gene structures varied widely. 4CLs promoter region contained multiply cis-acting elements related to phytohormones and stress responses. We found that Jr4CLs may be participated in the regulation of resistance to anthracnose. The expression level and some physiological of 4CLs were changed significantly after salt treatment. According to qRT-PCR results, positive regulation was found to be the main mode of regulation of 4CL genes after salt stress. Overall, J. mandshurica outperformed J. regia. Therefore, J. mandshurica can be used as a walnut rootstock to improve salt tolerance. Our results provide new understanding the potential functions of 4CL genes in stress tolerance, offer the theoretical genetic basis of walnut varieties adapted to salt stress, and provide an important reference for breeding cultivated walnuts for stress tolerance.

Carboxylating Elastomer via Thiol-Ene Click Reaction to Improve Miscibility with Conjugated Polymers for Mechanically Robust Organic Solar Cells with Efficiency of 19.

Incorporating flexible insulating polymers is a straightforward strategy to enhance the mechanical properties of rigid conjugated polymers, enabling their use in flexible electronic devices. However, maintaining electronic characteristics simultaneously is challenging due to the poor miscibility between insulating polymers and conjugated polymers. This study introduces the carboxylation of insulating polymers as an effective strategy to enhance miscibility with conjugated polymers via surface energy modulation and hydrogen bonding. The carboxylated elastomer, synthesized via a thiol-ene click reaction, closely matches the surface energy of the conjugated polymer. This significantly improves the mechanical properties, achieving a high crack-onset strain of 21.48%, surpassing that (5.93%) of the unmodified elastomer:conjugated polymer blend. Upon incorporating the carboxylated elastomer into PM6:L8-BO-based organic solar cells, an impressive power conversion efficiency of 19.04% is attained, which top-performs among insulating polymer-incorporated devices and outperforms devices with unmodified elastomer or neat PM6:L8-BO. The superior efficiency is attributed to the optimized microstructures and enhanced crystallinity for efficient and balanced charge transport, and suppressed charge recombination. Furthermore, flexible devices with 5% carboxylated elastomer exhibit superior mechanical stability, retaining ≈88.9% of the initial efficiency after 40 000 bending cycles at a 1 mm radius, surpassing ≈83.5% for devices with 5% unmodified elastomer.

Mediation effect of serum zinc on insulin secretion inhibited by methyl tert-butyl ether in gas station workers.

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), a type of gasoline additive, has been found to affect insulin function and glucose homeostasis in animal experiments, but there is still no epidemiological evidence. Zinc (Zn) is a key regulatory element of insulin secretion and function, and Zn homeostasis can be disrupted by MTBE exposure through inducing oxidative stress. Therefore, we suspected that Zn might be involved and play an important role in the process of insulin secretion inhibited by MTBE exposure. In this study, we recruited 201 male subjects including occupational and non-occupational MTBE exposure from Anhui Province, China in 2019. Serum insulin and functional analog fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) and blood MTBE were detected by Elisa and headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry. According to MTBE internal exposure level, the workers were divided into low- and high-exposed groups and found that the serum insulin level in the high-exposed group was significantly lower than that in the low-exposed group (p = 0.003) while fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level increased obviously in the high-exposed group compared to the low-exposed group (p = 0.001). Further analysis showed that MTBE exposure level was positively correlated with FPG level, but negatively correlated with serum insulin level, which suggested that the FPG level increase might be related to the decrease of serum insulin level induced by MTBE exposure. The results of further mediation effect analysis showed that changes in serum zinc levels played a major intermediary role in the process of insulin secretion inhibition and blood glucose elevation caused by MTBE exposure. In addition, a significant negative correlation was found between MTBE exposure and serum Zn level, which might play a strong mediating effect on the inhibition of insulin secretion induced by MTBE exposure. In conclusion, our study provided evidence that MTBE could inhibit insulin secretion and interfere with Zn metabolism in gas station workers for the first time, and found that Zn might play an important mediation effect during the process of inhibiting insulin secretion and interfering with glucose metabolism induced by MTBE exposure.

Vacuolar proteomic analysis reveals tonoplast transporters for accumulation of citric acid and sugar in citrus fruit.

Vacuole largely dictates the fruit taste and flavor, as most of the sugars and organic acids are stored in the vacuoles of the fruit. However, difficulties associated with vacuole separation severely hinder identification and characterization of vacuolar proteins in fruit species. In this study, we established an effective approach for separating vacuoles and successfully purified vacuolar protein from six types of citrus fruit with varying patterns of sugar and organic acid contents. By using label-free LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis, 1443 core proteins were found to be associated with the essential functions of vacuole in citrus fruit. Correlation analysis of metabolite concentration with proteomic data revealed a transporter system for the accumulation of organic acid and soluble sugars in citrus. Furthermore, we characterized the physiological roles of selected key tonoplast transporters, ABCG15, Dict2.1, TMT2, and STP7 in the accumulation of citric acid and sugars. These findings provide a novel perspective and practical solution for investigating the transporters underlying the formation of citrus taste and flavor.

Whole-course application of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to spinal-epidural anesthesia for cesarean section: A randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Dexmedetomidine is known to prolong the analgesic duration of spinal anesthesia, but it can be challenging to achieve further extension without opioids. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate a novel analgesic strategy using dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to spinal-epidural anesthesia for elective cesarean surgery. Methods: The study was a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial conducted at a single center. Sixty parturients who underwent elective cesarean were randomly assigned to either group C or group D. Group D received an intrathecal injection of 12.5 mg ropivacaine and 5 µg dexmedetomidine followed by continuous epidural patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) infusion with a total volume of 100 ml, containing 0.2 % ropivacaine and 0.5 µg/kg dexmedetomidine. Group C received an intrathecal injection of 12.5 mg ropivacaine with an equivalent saline placebo followed by a similar PCA infusion, containing 0.2 % ropivacaine and an equivalent saline placebo. Results: The primary outcome was visual analog scale score on movement at 24 h after surgery. The results showed that the rest and motion pain scores in group D were significantly lower than those in group C at 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h after surgery (P < 0.05), with the differences at 24 h were 5.0 (5.0, 5.0)in group D versus 5.0 (5.0, 6.0) in group C (P = 0.04). Additionally, the time to the first PCA in group D was significantly longer than that in group C (P < 0.05), as well as the time of sensory and motor recovery. Conclusions: Whole-course application of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to spinal-epidural anesthesia could effectively extend the analgesic duration of ropivacaine to 24 h following elective cesarean surgery.

Microenvironment-induced CREPT expression by cancer-derived small extracellular vesicles primes field cancerization.

Rationale: Cancer local recurrence increases the mortality of patients, and might be caused by field cancerization, a pre-malignant alteration of normal epithelial cells. It has been suggested that cancer-derived small extracellular vesicles (CDEs) may contribute to field cancerization, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we aim to identify the key regulatory factors within recipient cells under the instigation of CDEs. Methods: In vitro experiments were performed to demonstrate that CDEs promote the expression of CREPT in normal epithelial cells. TMT-based quantitative mass spectrometry was employed to investigate the proteomic differences between normal cells and tumor cells. Loss-of-function approaches by CRISPR-Cas9 system were used to assess the role of CREPT in CDEs-induced field cancerization. RNA-seq was performed to explore the genes regulated by CREPT during field cancerization. Results: CDEs promote field cancerization by inducing the expression of CREPT in non-malignant epithelial cells through activating the ERK signaling pathway. Intriguingly, CDEs failed to induce field cancerization when CREPT was deleted, highlighting the importance of CREPT. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that CDEs elicited inflammatory responses, primarily through activation of the TNF signaling pathway. CREPT, in turn, regulates the transduction of downstream signals of TNF by modulating the expression of TNFR2 and PI3K, thereby promoting inflammation-to-cancer transition. Conclusion: CREPT not only serves as a biomarker for field cancerization, but also emerges as a target for preventing the cancer local recurrence.

HvBGlu3, a GH1 ß-glucosidase enzyme gene, negatively influences ß-glucan content in barley grains.

KEY MESSAGE: HvBGlu3, a ß-glucosidase enzyme gene, negatively influences ß-glucan content in barley grains by mediating starch and sucrose metabolism in developing grains. Barley grains are rich in ß-glucan, an important factor affecting end-use quality. Previously, we identified several stable marker-trait associations (MTAs) and novel candidate genes associated with ß-glucan content in barley grains using GWAS (Genome Wide Association Study) analysis. The gene HORVU3Hr1G096910, encoding ß-glucosidase 3, named HvBGlu3, is found to be associated with ß-glucan content in barley grains. In this study, conserved domain analysis suggested that HvBGlu3 belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1). Gene knockout assay revealed that HvBGlu3 negatively influenced ß-glucan content in barley grains. Transcriptome analysis of developing grains of hvbglu3 mutant and the wild type indicated that the knockout of the gene led to the increased expression level of genes involved in starch and sucrose metabolism. Glucose metabolism analysis showed that the contents of many sugars in developing grains were significantly changed in hvbglu3 mutants. In conclusion, HvBGlu3 modulates ß-glucan content in barley grains by mediating starch and sucrose metabolism in developing grains. The obtained results may be useful for breeders to breed elite barley cultivars for food use by screening barley lines with loss of function of HvBGlu3 in barley breeding.

Possible melatonin-induced salt stress tolerance pathway in Phaseolus vulgaris L. using transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses.

Melatonin plays important roles in multiple stress responses; however, the downstream signaling pathway and molecular mechanism remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the transcriptional regulation of melatonin-induced salt stress tolerance in Phaseolus vulgaris L. and identify the key downstream transcription factors of melatonin through transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. The melatonin-induced transcriptional network of hormones, transcription factors, and functional genes was established under both control and stress conditions. Among these, eight candidate transcription factors were identified via gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, one gene related to transmembrane transport of salts (Phvul.004G177300). These genes may play a role in maintaining the cell structure and excreting sodium ions outside the cell or transporting them to the vacuoles for storage. Melatonin regulates the Phvul.009G210332 gene and metabolites C05642 (N-acetyl-N-2-formyl-5-methoxycanurine), C05643 (6-hydroxymelatonin), C05660 (5-methoxyindoleacetic acid) involved in tryptophan metabolism. The metabolites C05642 and C05643 were identified as decomposition products of tryptophan, indicating that exogenous melatonin entered the P. vulgaris tissue and was metabolized. Melatonin promotes the synthesis and metabolism of tryptophan, which is crucial to plant metabolism, growth, maintenance, and repair.

MTBE exposure may increase the risk of insulin resistance in male gas station workers.

Insulin resistance is closely related to many metabolic diseases and has become a serious public health problem worldwide. So, it is crucial to find its environmental pathogenic factors. Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), a widely used unleaded gasoline additive, has been proven to affect glycolipid metabolism. However, results from population studies are lacking. For this purpose, the potential relationships between MTBE exposure and the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index, a useful surrogate marker of insulin resistance, were evaluated using a small-scale occupational population. In this study, 201 participants including occupational and non-occupational MTBE exposure workers were recruited from the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Hospital of Huaibei, and their health examination information and blood samples with informed consent were collected. The internal exposure levels were assessed by detecting blood MTBE using solid-phase-micro-extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Then the adjusted linear regression model was used to assess the relationship between MTBE exposure and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), or TyG index. Then, receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to calculate the optimal cut-off points. Multivariable and hierarchical logistic regression models were used to analyze the impact of MTBE exposure on the risk of insulin resistance. Obvious correlations were observed between blood MTBE levels with TyG index (p = 0.016) and FPG (p = 0.001). Further analysis showed that using the mean of the TyG index (8.77) as a cutoff value had a good effect on reflecting the risk of insulin resistance. Multivariable logistic regression analysis also indicated that MTBE exposure was an independent risk factor for a high TyG index (OR = 1.088, p = 0.038), which indicated that MTBE exposure might be a new environmental pathogenic factor leading to insulin resistance, and MTBE exposure might increase the risk of insulin resistance by independently elevating the TyG index in male gas station workers.

In vitro protein digestibility of different soy-based products: effects of microstructure, physico-chemical properties and protein aggregation.

This study investigates the effects of protein structure and food microstructure on the in vitro protein gastrointestinal digestibility of different soy-based products, such as soy drink, reconstituted soy drink powder, firm tofu, and yuba. The results of the chemical cross-linking analysis showed that hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions were the main forces driving protein aggregation in (reconstituted) soy drink powder and firm tofu, whereas disulphide bonds were significantly more important for soy drink and yuba. The ß-sheet content of soy drink (36.5%) was lower than that of yuba (43.3%), but significantly higher than those of soy drink powder (23.2%) and firm tofu (29.8%). The in vitro protein digestibility decreased in the order of firm tofu > reconstituted soy drink powder > yuba > soy drink. Principal component analysis showed that protein gastrointestinal digestibility was positively correlated with the surface SH content and soluble protein content released by SDS + urea (SB-SA) but negatively correlated with the disulphide bonds and ß-sheet content for the four soybean products.

[Eriodictyol improves cognitive function in 5×FAD mice of Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting the microglia NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway].

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of eriodictyol on transgenic mice with five familial Alzheimer's disease (5×FAD) and the modulation of NOD-like receptor-pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in microglia. Methods The 8-month-old 5×FAD mice were randomly divided into AD model group and eriodictyol-treated AD group. Same-aged wild-type C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into wild-type (WT) control group and eriodictyol-treated WT group. Morris water maze and Y-maze experiments were performed to assess the cognitive function of each group of mice. Immunofluorescence histochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1 and interleukin 18 (IL-18) in mouse brain tissue, and Western blot was performed to detect the protein levels of NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speckle-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), caspase-1, IL-18, IL-1ß and ion calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1) in mouse brain tissue. Results Compared with the WT group and the eriodictyol-treated WT group, cognitive function was significantly impaired in the AD group mice, and the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-18, ASC, IL-1ß and Iba1 were increased in microglia of mouse brain tissue. After eriodictyol treatment, learning memory and cognitive function were improved, and the expression of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1ß, IL-18 and Iba1 were all down-regulated in the eriodictyol-treated AD group mice compared with the AD group mice. Conclusion Eriodictyol may improve cognitive function in animal models of AD by inhibiting the activation of the NLRP3 signaling pathway in microglia.